


Two Point Margin

by threesipsmore



Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M, implied zoro/sanji - Freeform, kinda mature cause of swears? idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 11:56:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6194275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/threesipsmore/pseuds/threesipsmore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Killer's the new middle blocker for South Blue and it's starting to infuriate Penguin, who can't seem to get a single strike past him. Volleyball AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Point Margin

**Author's Note:**

> Could be M idk there's bad language for sure but?

Really, he doesn’t understand. The guy’s got like a bush of hair to him that must be impeding his vision in every fucking way but there he is blocking his every spike.

It’s time for rotation and Shachi is giving him this look.

They hadn’t expected this. Not at all. Penguin glances back at their libero, Luffy grinning as if they weren’t currently in an unprecedented pinch.

Since when had Kid’s team gotten so good? South Blue was a shitty, undercurrent school with no bathroom stall doors and condoms tied childishly around the water fountain spouts.

Shachi grumbles as Kid jumps and serves, a nasty spin to it that catches Luffy’s arm awkwardly and Shachi tries to set it but there’s no point in it as Penguin- albeit half-assedly- strikes it weakly outside the paint of the three meter line.

Shit.

It was Kid’s serve again.

Shachi braces himself, the middle blockers wary- in middle school Kid had often been drafted in as a pinch server, using his great heaping body for chaos and mayhem and everything evil. High school was much scarier.

Luffy manages to receive it well enough, Shachi setting him up as Penguin strikes it hard and fast- and there he is, that heaping blonde mess of hair and cockiness, jumping high and tall and Penguin curses loudly when the ball bounces off.

There’s no point if he can’t get a hit in. Zoro’s standing over there shrugging at him- no point in setting him up with his wrist all messed up, not that they were exactly telling anyone until after the game. He could at least fake some spikes.

It’s match point soon enough and Kid blazes through them, Usopp hap-hazardously catching it only for it to spin and hit Luffy in the back of the head.

Needless to say, Penguin is kinda seething, because there was no moving on in the tournament now. They’d fucked up.

“Steroids,” Shachi asks, though it was only in tired jest. Those cups of piss never lied.

“It’s that new blocker they got, if he’s not walling you in then he’s striking you out. Middle hitters like that are dangerous.” Law pops some candy corn into his mouth, sighing.

“Eustass will never let this go. I’ll never hear the end of it- and now I gotta watch his pale Irish ass in the next round tomorrow.”

Sanji is poking at Zoro’s wrist, Kid mopping at his head as he greets them through the net.

“Not your year, huh Trafalgar?”

“Bite my ass Eustass.”

Kid cackles and Nami offers to take them out for some ice cream- their treat of course.

* * *

 

Anything that could be turned competitive became a big deal in the city, the four districts butting heads every which way and Penguin had enjoyed the fame of it for the first year, though he’d been nothing but a wet-nosed brat back then. But the pressure was all too real.

He watches Killer- real funny name to be giving a kid, but then again, last year Law had inducted a polar bear as their outside hitter so he couldn’t really judge. But still, he watches him down there, shoving caramel corn into his mouth by the handfuls all the meanwhile.

Even when he’d been rotated into the back he was impressive, never passing the attack line as he retaliated. He was skinny enough to move around easily, but toned enough to cause damage.

Sometimes that tie in his hair snaps and he just whips out another one from around his wrist and bunches it all back up again, sometimes in a sloppy, droopy bun, sometimes in a tail.

“He’s a senior I hear,” Shachi shouts above the roar of the crowd, “they’d had someone that good in their school for three years and they’d had no fucking idea. I heard some of the guys from the local club talking about it after they’d been practically _massacred_ by Kid’s team in a practice round.”

He looks too young to be a senior. Penguin himself was a blooming junior that credited most of his luck with the girls to volleyball.

This Killer was about to find out how nice it was to be the center of attention.

“Eustass says he used to play basketball, just a club activity,” Law leans over, a rounding cheer after a successful set on the East’s side. At least they were fighting back. “He was a small forward so, y’know, he had to be fast and accurate. Dunno how Eustass got him to switch over, but I guess we won’t be mopping the floor with their shiny asses anymore.”

Kid had a shitty team, that was all there was to it. South Blue was always and forever last. Kid himself was great- strong, intuitive, and sometimes he had this accuracy to him that was just plain spiteful.

But his team lacked any and every aspect their great captain harbored.

That was until Killer.

Penguin watches him almost obsessively, fingertips brushing the bottom of the paper bag, collecting salt and flakes.

East Blue does four taps and fouls out, a bumbling mess that had attempted to rebound Killer’s spike.

Was he just naturally this good? Was he one of those guys that you could just shove onto a soccer field and they’d be out feinting the hell out of everybody without ever knowing the rules?

Kid had found himself an Ace, and finding an Ace was like hitting the jackpot.

“He’s not bad looking though,” Shachi comments after awhile, the crowd for the most part hushed as the ball is served, “I mean, basketball did him some favors don’t you think?”

Penguin’s not quite seeing it.

“You think I could get his number?”

It takes a moment but then Penguin’s shoving at him, “He’s our rival you dumbass! You can’t just go and ask him out on a date. Besides, his jersey says _Killer_ in bold letters. Does that really sound like the name of a cock you want to suck? _Killer?”_

Shachi snorts, swatting Penguin away. “Fine fine, you can have him, jeez.”

Penguin blanches. “Why would I want him?”

Shachi raises his brow in this exasperated fashion and just sighs. “Well _someone_ has to have him, I mean _look_ at the guy. If skinny hipsters could play volleyball, _that’s_ what they’d look like Penguin, and you know I’ve always wanted to do it with a skinny hipster. It’s my dream. If you’re going to steal my dream then at least do it properly.”

Shachi must have accidentally taken Zoro’s pain meds instead of his usual round of colorful pills, his grin a bit wider than usual.

“You’re delusional,” is all Penguin mumbles, only to be drowned out by the crowd as South Blue scores.

* * *

 

“Aw c’mon,” Kid grins, “buy me a round.”

Law pushes at him, huffing indignantly, and Sanji is back there poking at Zoro some more, cackling when the middle hitter made to punch at him with his bad hand, only to yelp at the whiplash of it.

Killer is silent over there, Heat and Wire literally talking over him with their astounding height difference.

It’s times like these that Penguin hates his captain’s unbecoming dalliances with Kid.

It wasn’t exactly a secret, not really, the tension between them had to have snapped at one point, and two years ago had been that point.

Penguin bundles up into his coat some more, nose nudging under the thick collar.

“Why’s it always so fucking cold in the North,” Kid groans, “it’s Spring, Spring is supposed to be happy and flowery and warm. I bet this is why you guys always got such large sticks up your asses. Because they're permanently frozen up there.”

“Flattering ourselves, are we Eustass,” Shachi snickers.

“Oh it’s not that large,” Law comments, and Kid blusters a bit, the chill-nipped red of his nose spreading like fire to his cheeks.

There was this cute little tavern out on 7th and Roswald, dug snuggly into the ground smelling of baked potatoes and draft beer.

“Better be better than the last shit-hole you took me to,” Kid is muttering and Law can only snort.

“Yeah, well you actually won this time, so I thought you deserved some finer customer service.”

This cute little pub also had half naked women pillowed in heaping servings of both breasts and attitude. Kid lights up at the prospect, and Law is sighing endearingly.

Penguin wouldn’t ever bother to try and understand them.

“If you don’t make a move on skinny Adonis over there then I will,” Shachi warns under a frosted breath.

“You’d have better luck with the bar girls,” Penguin responds easily.

Shachi glowers over at him, before he’s suddenly shuffling off toward the two great towers of Middle Earth and the poor blonde creature stuck between them.

Shachi’s already talking him up, and Penguin’s starting to feel a little put out.

It’s warm in the tavern, the first woman to come bouncing their way is all smiles and cheer. Kid can only mirror her show of teeth with his own, Law pushing him forward with a groan. “C’mon Eustass, in the end it’s still a place to eat, y’know? Don’t you be putting on such a scary face and frightening the staff.”

It’s cramped, to say the least, with West Blue hollering about in the back.

Law’s team would be facing East tomorrow, in a showdown for the best loser award.

“From first to last,” Kid has his arm around Law’s shoulders, “ain’t that something.”

“We haven’t lost yet you ass,” Shachi hisses, and Sanji is following Zoro back into the bathroom. Maybe he’d actually poked him too hard this time.

Kid shrugs as if it’s only a matter of time.

“Doesn’t matter to me anyway. Either way we go South Blue’s gonna top the tier this year boys.”

Heat and Wire clink their glasses to that, Killer following suit, and Penguin leans back into his chair, brow cocked. “Only because of that goldmine you got going on over there. Without him you’d be the cushion for East’s ass, just like you always are.”

Kid wrinkles up his nose, and Law seems to be just as curious as Penguin if Kid will take it all in good humor.

And then he’s roaring out a laugh and Law rolls his eyes. “Yeah, suppose you’re right. Before it was mostly me trying to do all the work, but then this kid comes along and I can finally just _breathe_ again- no offense you two.”

They don’t seem to mind in the least, and Penguin doesn’t share how pathetic it is that the rest of Kid’s team was put on rest for the night after just two matches.

“He was causing you a bit of trouble, huh,” Kid nods at Penguin, “every time twinkle-toes over there set you up for a strike Killer was right there in your face.”

Penguin burrows himself further into his jacket, pouting sourly. Shachi is using one of those ties to boldly clump Killer’s bangs back, and it’s then Penguin realizes with a jolt that Killer’s been staring at him this whole damn time.

Fucking creepy.

Shachi’s saying this and that and those twin towers are murmuring about something on their phone, which is now delicately balanced on Killer’s golden head- Kid is way too close to Law, probably whispering sweet nothings that are anything but sweet and Penguin kind of just cowers back further into his chair with a furrowed brow.

Had he upset Killer somehow?

He and Zoro had played out a few diversions but that was the nature of the game, especially when you have a green-haired bastard too stubborn to call out because of a limp wrist.

“I’ll beat them by a fifteen point margin.”

Kid pauses from his pawing at Trafalgar and Shachi realizes Killer hadn’t been paying attention to anything he'd been saying.

“Oi, don’t be making weird promises, I want to be remembered for what we did, not for what we said we could do but didn't,” Kid says.

Penguin snorts disbelievingly after a moment.

Best three out of five sets won the game, each set consisting of up to 25 points- each foul and serve accounted for a point. You had to have at least a 2 point margin to win. With that said, winning by a fifteen point margin against someone like West Blue- Killer was just being stupid at this point. He might be good, but winning the finals was usually something that was done by a fine line.

“You can try,” he says simply.

Killer’s lips twitch pleasantly. “I will. And if I do I’d like something from you.”

Penguin’s beginning to heat up, their table focused on him far too intently, as if he’d actually done something to garner this sudden attention from the quiet middle hitter of South Blue.

“What?”

“Just, something simple.”

Penguin pinches his lips, knowing he probably looked every bit dour as he felt, all huddled up in his coat unsurely. “Okay, I’ll play along. But if you can’t do it?”

“Then you get something simple.”

Why did Killer want to make such a ridiculous bet with him?

He agrees after Law kicks his foot and Shachi is muttering about him being lucky so Penguin transfers that kick onto him.

* * *

 

A fifteen point lead in every set against West Blue is just- he can’t fathom it really. Even they had their struggles when it came to the powerhouse of the west.

Right now, however, East Blue stood battle-ready across the net. Laffitte was a tall fucker and a magnificent blocker, and Brook had to him a flair for accuracy. Their captain Calico Yorki was just as ruthless as he was chivalrous.

Penguin has to discharge the finals from his head, he has to focus on his own match- except Killer is up there watching him, and Penguin’s a bit jittery.

Shachi double taps on accident and the score goes to East. Zoro manages a good hit later despite his condition and Shachi is sheepishly apologizing to the both of them.

Rotation has Penguin in front of Laffitte, who towers over the net in sheer size.

They’d need to do a feint, but Zoro is being switched out for cute little Chopper and Penguin loses all hope.

Shachi sets him up and Penguin decides to purposely angle it for the inevitable hit, allowing Luffy to retaliate with a dig that has Shachi setting Chopper up on the other end, a score inching by East’s other blocker.

They win by that two point margin, and Penguin is flushed in embarrassment. They were the reoccurring champions, since when did they have to fight for scraps?

Law starts putting a spin on his serves and Penguin supposes by then end of the day a win was still a win.

* * *

 

Killer pins back his bangs and ties his hair up, crouching a bit in stance.

Fifteen point lead, huh?

“Kinda exciting right,” Shachi murmurs, “it’s like this game is dedicated to you or something.”

How is that exciting? It’s terrifying because that means he should actually be _rooting_ for Killer.

“Ah,” Shachi sighs dramatically, “I’m so jealous. Look at those stunning eyes of his, that petite bum. You’ll have so much fun.”

“Stop that,” Penguin hisses, face boiling.

The first set is by a fifteen point margin exactly. The second is by sixteen. Penguin begins to get into it, leaning in a bit and then the ball hits Killer kinda funny at the fingers when he attempts to deflect a brutal strike to his setter and they lose a point.

Kid crowds in next to him, moving it around and undoubtedly asking him if he wants to sit out.

It’s kind of quiet then, and Penguin watches him carefully. Tendon tears, sprains, dislocations- they were all pretty common. Killer seems to insist that he’s fine and Penguin feels a bit funny then.

He was stupid, playing with a bad finger.

“Are you. . . blushing?”

Penguin shoves Shachi hard, grumbling.

Needless to say, Killer delivers and Penguin claps just once in the heat of the moment, the crowd standing.

Needless to say, he’s a bit anxious.

* * *

 

It’s more practical to drive from North to South Blue, but because practicality is expensive and not always realistic, public transportation is a priority in the city, even if the layovers were a bit of a hassle.

Kid has a car, and yet Killer’s request is that they walk home together- his home, to be exact, which means Penguin will have to walk all the way back North alone.

But Killer had won and Penguin supposes in essence it was a _simple thing._ It’s quiet at first, although he likes to think his thoughts are loud enough to distract him for the time being. What was Killer hoping to gain from this?

The first bus they ride is empty save for a few seats, and they’re quiet for that first 30 minutes. They depart and go underground and back up again to board the second one, which is completely bare.

By the third layover Killer finally realizes that his hair is still pinned up and lets it all down, ruffling his bangs in a manner that said neat offended him.

“You ever going to say anything?”

Killer glances over at him, a messy part in his hair revealing light blue. The city lights glow orange and white outside, the calming rumble of the bus helping to quench his nerves.

“Should I?”

Penguin watches him oddly. “You don’t think this is odd? At all?”

There’s the hint of a smile on the senior. “Is it?”

Penguin’s nerves backfire into something a bit more annoyed.

“What’s with you? You’re under the radar for three years and then suddenly you’re the king of volleyball. Doesn’t matter what rotation you’re in. Even I have problems in the back corner, you know.”

“I do know.”

Penguin tenses up a bit, curiosity piqued. “Oh do you now? And how do you know that?”

Killer shrugs as if it weren’t anything big. “It’s true Kid asked me to join, but I didn’t say yes right away. Actually, I said no the first two times. But he was persistent. He said I could pick the position, said you guys would be the biggest threat so he drug me along to one of your home district games, the one against that private academy with that ugly purple Roger.”

He remembers that game, only because they’d had a spiker that kept aiming foul shots at Luffy's head.

“So I went, and I saw you, and Kid said you were near impossible to block, other times you were difficult to predict. Even though the setter is the one that’s initially supposed to control the attack somehow you’d always managed to make it yours.”

Had Killer been good only because he’d been studying him? No, Penguin talks himself out of it, Killer was just good. Being observant was part of the game, after all.

“You felt challenged,” Penguin surmises, “so you decided to beat me.”

Killer does smile then, and Penguin stares at him for a bit too long. “Well you did it,” Penguin mumbles, "congrats."

“Wasn’t as easy as I’d thought it’d be. I’d assumed we’d have you down by ten points, but we barely clung to that minimum two point margin.”

Penguin gives him a cocky smirk. “Oh, so you’re impressed now are you? You one of those guys that gets turned on by being beaten?”

“No,” Killer says simply, “but I’m starting to think you are.”

Penguin’s brain hiccups. What?

“What’s been on your mind all day,” Killer twitches a smile at him.

Penguin can feel a frown tugging at his lips as he thinks on it, stilling when he decidedly concludes that he shouldn’t answer for his own sanity.

Of course it was Killer.

“Doesn’t mean I like you,” he clicks his tongue instead.

“That’s a shame.”

Is Killer just toying with him?

Penguin’s about snap at him but the bus is stopping and Penguin realizes this must be Killer’s neighborhood.

They walk around for a good bit, going deeper and deeper into the twisting roads of long, one-story houses and wide garages.

“I don’t got a thing for people that are better then me or better than my expectations,” Killer says suddenly, and Penguin has a feeling they’re close, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t got a thing for you.”

Penguin swallows thickly, the climate change sharp and distinct down here. It was the summer district after all, the trees green instead of dead.

What does he say? Hey, you’re really good at volleyball and you might be right about me, please let me suck your dick?

Killer tugs on the flap of Penguin’s hat playfully, grin coy. “Let’s just get to the point and say I got a thing for you and your spikes and the way your shirt always rides up when you jump. While we’re admitting things here, we could say that it’d really just be stupid for you to go all the way home now, and my window is like two feet above the ground, so it'll be easy for you to jump out in the morning.”

“Will I be jumping out half-naked, completely startled by your parents pounding on your door?”

Killer doesn’t even need to consider it.

“That all depends on how fast you can put your clothes back on I guess.”

* * *

 

 

ALSO BY THE LOVELY ANHELKREEP (tumblr: anhelkreep.tumblr.com):

 

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: threesipsmore.tumblr.com


End file.
